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Pittsburgh (15-10 SU, 9-11 ATS) at Seton Hall (16-8 SU, 12-8 ATS)
The Panthers finally showed their worth this season by winning four straight games but that streak came to an end on Wednesday when they lost at South Florida, 63-51. The setback can directly be attributed to Pitt’s offense, which shot 35 percent from the floor and just 25 percent (4-of-16) from 3-point land. Prior to that dismal showing, the Panthers posted an average of 77.3 points per game during their winning streak. Not surprisingly, the ‘over’ cashed in those four games and the ‘under’ came through in Wednesday’s loss.

Seton Hall started the season with a 15-2 record and the school notched a few impressive wins during that span over VCU, Dayton, West Virginian and UConn.

Unfortunately, the Pirates hit the wall and dropped six straight games. The good news for Seton Hall followers is that the school stopped the bleeding on Wednesday with a 59-54 road victory over Rutgers. The main issue with Seton Hall is its offense, which has been more miss than hit this season. During the 1-6 stretch, the Pirates have been held under 60 points in six of them. To put things in perspective, this Big East squad is ranked 211th nationally in FG% (42.7) and 291st in free throw (64.7%) percentages.

Total players following the Pirates have seen the ‘under’ 13-7 (60%) on the season and that includes a 6-1 run to the ‘under’ during the aforementioned offensive woes. The ‘over/under’ for Sunday’s affair is hovering around 129 points.

The two schools haven’t met this season, but Pitt has owned the recent history. The Panthers have gone 5-1 SU and 6-0 ATS, four of the wins coming by double digits.

Oddsmakers opened the Pirates as 1 ½-point home favorites over the Panthers.

St. John’s (10-14 SU, 8-13 ATS) at Georgetown (18-5 SU, 11-7 ATS)

This particular matchup has letdown written all over it and gamblers should be weary of the ‘chalk’ here. Georgetown is coming off a tough overtime loss (61-64) to Syracuse on Wednesday and will now look to regroup against an inferior opponent.

Confidence could be too high for Georgetown, who already blasted St. John’s this season, earning a 69-49 road victory on Jan. 15. The Hoyas easily covered as seven-point favorites and the closing total (130.5) was never threatened. Including this outcome, the ‘under’ has cashed in the last four of this series. The opening total for the rematch was listed at 129.

Taking the points with St. John’s doesn’t appear to be a sound investment either. The team is coming off two humbling losses at home to Syracuse (70-95) and Cincinnati (54-76). The Red Storm has used five freshmen in the starting lineup at times, and the inexperience has shown. It’s rare to see more than eight players used in a game.

The Red Storm has struggled as visitors this season, going 2-7 SU. The victories both came in conference play against DePaul (87-81) and Cincinnati (57-55).

Even with all those facts, the youngsters have shown some pride and played to their competition at times. Just look at St. John’s performance against Duke, which was an 83-76 loss. They trailed by 16 at the half but kept fighting and wound up covering as 17 ½-point underdogs.

SJU has been a double-digit underdog six times this season and its gone 1-5 SU and 3-3 ATS.

Georgetown has a produced a 12-1 mark at home this season, which includes a 5-1 record in conference play. The Hoyas are 2-4 ATS in Big East affairs, but they have covered their last two.

No look-ahead either for G-Town here, with road games against Providence and Seton Hall on tap.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

NCAAB: The home team is 18-4 ATS in the last 22 Illinois-Michigan games.

Who’s not

NBA: The Wizards are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games vs. Detroit.

NBA: The Heat is 2-6 ATS in its last eight road games.

NHL: The Capitals are 2-9 in their last 11 games as a road underdog.

NHL: The over is 0-7 in the Stars’ last seven home games.

NCAAB: Virginia Tech is 0-5 ATS in its last five home games, and 0-5 ATS in its last five meetings with Boston College.

Key stat

18 – That’s how many offensive rebounds Georgetown grabbed in the first matchup against St. John’s, a 69-49 road win. The Hoyas, who host the Red Storm on Sunday, own a plus-5.4 rebounding margin. St. John’s has a minus-3.5 margin, second worst in the 16-team Big East.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Raptors guard Jerryd Bayless (11.3 ppg, 3.0 apg) is doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Lakers with an ankle injury. It would be his second straight absence after Bayless scored 84 points in the previous six games (14.0 ppg). Jose Calderon and Leandro Barbosa will get more minutes until Bayless returns.

Games of the day

Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics (3.5, 176)

Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks (4.5, 190)

Notable quotable

“I will assess the situation at the end of the season no different than I do with the other 18 sports, no different than I did for the football program. I need to look at the total body of work and all of the things that come into play as far as making those decisions. Because those are important decisions and they affect a lot of people. I'll tell you this: No one wants to win more than I do. I'm here to win championships." – Illinois AD Mike Thomas, when asked about the job status of basketball coach Bruce Weber. Illinois (16-8, 5-6 Big Ten) visits Michigan (18-7, 8-4) on Sunday.

Notes and tips

Penguins center Jordan Staal returned from his left knee injury Saturday against Winnipeg and looked sharp in the 8-5 win, getting a goal and an assist. He had not played since suffering the injury Jan. 6 against the Rangers. Staal’s return should ease the scoring load on Evgeni Malkin and James Neal.

The St. Louis Rams have hired Les Snead, the Falcons’ director of player personnel, to be their general manager. Snead has spent most of his career in Atlanta but also has worked in Jacksonville. New coach Jeff Fisher will retain final authority over personnel matters for the Rams, who own the No. 2 pick in the April draft.

The Hornets won’t have starting point guard Jarrett Jack (knee) for Monday’s game against Utah. Jack missed Friday’s loss to Portland and isn’t expected back for a week. Starting in his place, Greivis Vasquez shot 2 of 10 from the field, missing all five of his 3-point tries. Vasquez did contribute six points, seven assists and five steals while committing two turnovers in nearly 37 minutes.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

13) Before we get to college ball, Jeremy Lin scored 20 points with seven assists as the Knicks came from behind to win their fifth straight game by a point at a better-than-we-think Minnesota team. Knicks were -7 in 9:00 Lin was off the court. He's heading to being a Kurt Warner-like figure.

12) Minnesota is fun to watch; Ricky Rubio is a great passer; Kevin Love is a beast (32 points, 21 rebounds). This is a team on the rise. Both Rubio and Lin need to improve their outside shot to approach elite status, but no doubt the Knicks have struck gold picking Lin off the scrap heap.

11) Independent Seattle trailed by 19 at the half at Longwood, but rallied to win in OT; kid named Chad Rasmussen was 6-17 from the floor, with all 17 shots behind the arc. You don't see that every day.

10) Harvard lost at Princeton, its first Ivy League loss, which matters more in a league with no conference tournament. Crimson leads by a game, and they still have to play Yale again.

Bulldogs were down 13 at Columbia with 5:30 left and Lions had the ball, but Yale stole a 69-68 road win and remains in contention for its first Ivy title since 1959. These Ivy teams play lot better when they're underdogs.

9) If you want to bet next year's Super Bowl right now, its NFC -3, with a total of 52.5. Game is in New Orleans.

8) We're in mid-Fenruary; lot of younger teams are hitting the wall, running out of gas, but Louisville got a shot in the arm when Wayne Blackshear got in Saturday's game and scored 13 points in 20 minutes, in his first action of the year after hurting his shoulder last fall. He's a very good player.

7) Tennessee (+12.5) upset Florida for the second time this season, 75-70 in Gainesville; rough week for the Gators, who got waxed in Lexington by Kentucky earlier in the week.

6) Kentucky won a tough game 69-63 at Vanderbilt, taking Commodores' best shot and coming out a winner. 12 of the 40 shots Vandy missed got blocked. Vandy had beaten the last four #1 teams to enter their gym.

5) California is by far the best team in the Pac-12; not sure if Arizona or Oregon is next, and not sure if Pac-12 will get another team in NCAAs if Cal wins the conference tournament. Down year for the league.

4) UNLV beat San Diego State by a hoop, avenging their loss by a hoop at Viejas last month. These two teams play really good games; one of them is going to have to beat a gritty New Mexico team, if there's going to be third meeting in the Mountain West tourney next month.

3) Rice beat SMU 43-39, New Mexico beat Wyoming 48-38, in couple of games that set basketball back a few years. There is a shot clock; how do you score less than 40 points when you give out scholarships?

2) Texas was down 40-27 at the half at home against Kansas State, but had a great second half and won 75-64; J'Covan Brown went 7-15, after going 8-28 in the first meeting. Longhorns will be a tough out in March.

1) I'm 52, so obviously anytime someone dies at age 48, it is very sad; our culture emphasizes wealth and fame. We'd all love to be rich, and I think most of us would like to be famous (at least for a while). There is a down side to being rich; there's a down side to everything. Thats why we need to see the positive sides of our situations, because grass isn't always greener on other people's lawns. Just seems that way some days.

Rest in peace, Whitney Houston. You died way too young.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

St. John's at Georgetown
The Red Storm look to build on their 5-1 ATS record in their last 6 Sunday games. St. John's is the pick (+15 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Hoyas favored by only 12. Dunkel Pick: St. John's (+15 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.

Pittsburgh won four of last five games after 0-7 start in Big East; they're 1-5 on Big East road, with only win at fading West Virginia- underdogs covered all six of those games. Panthers are 0-7 when they're held under 72 points in league play, 4-1 when they score 72+. Seton Hall snapped 6-game skid with rivalry win at Rutgers in last game; they've scored less than 60 points in each of their last five games. Big East home favorites of less than 5 points are 8-9 against the spread.

Illinois is fading badly, losing five of last six games, with only win 42-41 over Michigan State; Illini are 1-4 on Big Dozen road, with only win by point at Northwestern, who then beat Illini in Champaign. Michigan is 6-0 at home in conference, 2-2 as home favorite, winning at Crisler by 18-5-18-2-1-12 points. Big Dozen home favorites of 6 or less points are 8-12 against the spread. Wolverines held their last six opponents to 58.8 ppg- dogs are 8-4 vs spread in their conference games.

Georgetown (-7) hammered St John's 69-49 in New York Jan 15, with Red Storm shooting 32% for game, 0-10 from arc. Johnnies are 2-2-1 as Big East road dog, but they lost another player this week and only have six kids on scholarship- their road losses are by 14-19-15 points, with wins at Cincinnati/DePaul. Georgetown is 2-4 as home favorite, winning home games by 9-3-3-14-30 points. Big East double digit home favorites are 9-11-1 against spread. Hoyas lost last game in OT at Syracuse.

Detroit (+1.5) won 80-73 at Green Bay Jan 12, outscoring hosts 26-12 on foul line; Titans won seven of last nine games after starting out 1-4 in Horizon play- their last four games were all decided by 5 or less points. Green Bay is 4-1-1 as road underdog, losing away games by 4-3-1-10-30 points; Friday's win at Wright State was its first road win of the season. Horizon home favorites of 8+ points are 8-11-1 against spread. Detroit is 3-4 as home favorite, with home wins by 11-16-15-1-4 points.

Wright State (+12.5) lost 58-38 at Milwaukee Jan 12, shooting 25.5% on night, 2-16 from the arc; Raiders lost last three games, scoring 51.7 ppg. Underdogs are 7-0 vs spread in Wright's Horizon home games; Raiders are 0-4 as home favorite, winning home games by 1-6-6- points. Six of their seven home games were decided by 6 or less points. Horizon home underdogs of 3 or less points are 5-2 against the spread. Underdogs also covered Milwaukee's last four games.

Missouri State (-7) won 51-48 at Bradley Jan 21, in brickfest that saw both teams shoot under 38%; Bears won three of last four games, giving up 48 ppg in the three wins. State is 3-2 as MVC home favorite, taking home games by 11-12-12 points, but they're only 3-4 SU at home. MVC home favorites of 12+ points are 7-4 against the spread. Bradley ended a 6-game skid last time out; they're 3-4 as MVC road underdog, losing on MVC road by 11-8-37-23-17-14-30 points.

Washington is talented but has low basketball IQ; they had 5-game win streak crushed in Eugene Thursday, when they trailed Ducks 49-26 at half, but playing Oregon State is right up their alley, because Beavers go up and down all day, with not much thought. Beavers (+4.5) lost 95-80 t Washington in Pac-12 opener Dec 29, game in which both teams shot 50%+. Pac-12 underdogs are 17-11 vs spread when getting less than 5 points, 8-5 on road. Oregon State is 3-2 in conference home games.

Purdue (-1.5) won 58-56 at Northwestern Jan 28, its only win in its last five games; Boilers had only five turnovers (+11) that game- they played hearts out at Ohio State last game, but lost by 3. Northwestern won its last three games since the Purdue loss, scoring 80.3 ppg; Wildcats are 5-0 when they score 68+ points in league play, 0-6 when they don't- they're 2-3 as road dogs, losing road games by 33-2-20-23 points. Big Dozen home favorites of more than 6 points are 17-11 against the spread.

Virginia Tech (-9) lost 61-59 at Boston College Jan 14, shooting 36.2% for game; Hokies are 2-7 in ACC, 1-8 vs spread, 0-5 as favorites- their only ACC wins are both by a basket, over Virginia/Clemson. BC is 8-2 vs spread in ACC games, 4-0 as road dog, losing away games by 23-14-17-4 points. Five of BC's seven ACC losses are by 14+ points, but last two were by 5-4 points, and they upset Florida State at home last game. ACC double digit home favorites are 4-11-1 against the spread.

Stanford (-7.5) beat USC 51-43 at home in first meeting Dec 31, holding Trojans to 35% from floor, 2-9 from arc, but Cardinal has lost five of its last six games, with all five losses by 10+ points. USC is pathetic 1-11 in conference, 2-5-1 as underdog, 0-2 at home, losing its conference home games by 9-11-19-24-26 points. Cardinals' only win in its six road games was in four OTs at Oregon State. Pac-12 single digit home underdogs are 9-5 against the spread.

Drake (+5) shot 61% from floor, 7-12 from arc, won 69-60 at Evansville Jan 13, despite 21 turnovers (-11); Bulldogs lost five of last six games, though, scoring 48.7 ppg in three losses since a 3-OT win over Wichita State- they're 4-3 AU in conference home games. Purple Aces won six of eight games since Drake loss; they're 3-4 on Valley road, with four of seven games decided by 5 or less points. MVC home teams are 14-9 vs spread when number is less than 5 points.

Loyola (+5) won 66-63 at Fairfield Jan 13, making 7-14 from arc; they beat Iona Friday in showdown for MAAC lead, have won seven games in row, covering last five; Greyhounds are 3-4 as MAAC home favorite, winning at home by 13-1-15-11-11-17-6 points. MAAC home favorites of 5 or less points are 8-7-1 against the spread. Fairfield won four games in row, allowing 58 ppg; they're 0-3 vs spread as an underdog this year, with conference losses by 13-2-3-9 points.

Iona lost showdown game with Loyola Friday, likely to be in foul mood here, against Marist team that won its last two games after losing nine in a row before that. Gaels (-15.5) won 100-76 at Marist Jan 8, shooting 61% in game they led by 24 at half. Red Foxes are 2-6 as road dog, with none of their road losses by more than 22 points. MAAC home faves of 11+ points are 4-11 against the spread. Iona is 2-3 as home fave, with wins in New Rochelle by 12-11-20-19 points.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

Chicago at Boston
The Celtics look to bounce back from their 86-74 loss to Toronto and build on their 10-3 ATS record in their last 13 games after scoring less than 75 points in their previous game. Boston is the pick (+3 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Bulls favored by only 1. Dunkel Pick: Boston (+3 1/2). Here are all of today's picks

Hot Teams
-- Bulls won last five games, covering last four.
-- Detroit won/covered its last four games.
-- Miami won four of last five games, but is 2-6 vs spread in last eight games as a road favorite. Atlanta won last two games, allowing 87 points both games; they're 9-4 SU at home, 1-0 as home underdog.
-- Houston won/covered four of its last five games.
-- Memphis won its last two games, is 6-4 as a home favorite.

Cold Teams
-- Toronto lost five of last seven home games, is 2-4 as home underdog. Lakers lost nine of their thirteen road games.
-- Celtics lost last two games, scoring 87-74 points; they're 5-2 as a dog, 2-1 at home.
-- Washington is 2-7-1 vs spread as a road underdog.
-- Warriors are 2-5 vs spread in game following their last seven wins.
-- Jazz lost four of last five games, is 3-6 as a road underdog.

Totals
-- Five of last six Laker games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Boston games stayed under total.
-- Five of last six Washington road games went over.
-- Four of last five Miami games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Golden State games. Four of last five Houston road games stayed under total.
-- Three of last four Utah road games went over the total.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

Success during the lockout-shortened NBA schedule has as much to do with dodging injuries as it does with putting the ball in the basket.

Bettors have already seen the wear and tear of the compact 66-game slate and the season hasn’t even reached the all-star break. Just this week, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost rookie point guard Kyrie Irving to a concussion.

How will that affect the Cavs’ success against the spread? We’ll find out soon enough. But here are some other teams that have been bitten bad by the injury bug and how those missing pieces are impacting NBA bettors.

Charlotte Bobcats (3-23 SU, 9-17 ATS)

The Bobcats weren’t all that great before they lost scoring threats D.J. Augustin, Gerald Henderson and Corey Maggette. But without those three in the rotation, Charlotte has been terrible offensively, averaging 81.6 points during its 13-game losing skid. The Bobcats have covered just four times in that span, but under bettors have prospered, going 3-9-1 over/under during this slide.

Atlanta Hawks (18-9 SU, 14-12-1 ATS)

The Hawks were a darkhorse contender in the Eastern Conference before losing all-star forward Al Horford to injury. Atlanta was getting by OK without the big man in the middle until center Jason Collins went down with an elbow strain. Now, it’s short on power in the paint. Atlanta has a daunting five-game road trip ahead but not before a home date with Miami. The Hawks have covered in their last two games after losing three straight ATS.

Denver Nuggets (15-12 SU, 15-12 ATS)

The Nuggets seemed injury-proof to start the year but a rash of injuries to the forward corps has left Denver short on size and hemorrhaging points. Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, Corey Brewer and Nene all are either out or banged up for the Nuggets’ upcoming schedule. The Nuggets had lost five in a row SU and ATS heading into Saturday, giving up an average of almost 105 points in that span. Compounding those missing pieces is a rough patch of schedule that has them playing six games in eight nights.

Chris Paul was a great addition to the Clippers' backcourt, but Los Angeles’ key acquisition this offseason may have been veteran guard Chauncey Billups. Billups is done for the year – and maybe his career – after an Achilles injury this past week. That takes experience and clutch shooting out of the Clippers’ trove of assets. On top of that, second-year guard Eric Bledsoe suffered a setback in his recovery from knee surgery, leaving Los Angeles without two reliable long-range options. The Clippers are 5 for 34 from the perimeter in their last two games. Without those 3-point buckets, L.A. will have a tough time, especially while on a six-game road run.

New Jersey Nets (8-20 SU, 12-16 ATS)

The Nets started the season with bad news, losing center Brook Lopez to a broken foot. New Jersey got in over its head when veteran center Mehmet Okur started suffering back spasms and the team had to lean on Sheldon Williams and Kris Humphries against bigger opponents. To add to those holes under the hoop, the Nets lost guards MarShon Brooks, Deshawn Stevenson, and Keith Bogans along the way, sparking a five-game losing skid in which New Jersey has covered just once.

Always remember the 3 G's Girls,Golf, Gambling not in any particular order......:2thumbs:

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